AB Kiii #015 - Washed Kenya

"Classic Kenyan profile of blackcurrant, Cinnamon, wild berries and florals"

The Factory

This coffee is processed at the Kii Factory, a member of the Rung’eto Farmers Cooperative Society in Central Kenya.

Kii is one of three wet mills managed by the Rung’eto FCS in Kirinyaga and is Fairtrade certified.

The society was formed after the dissolution of the Ngiriama FCS, leading Kiangoi, Karimikui, and Kii to merge.

The Chairman of this society has implemented various quality-focused processes throughout all the factories of the Rung’eto FCS. For example he installed tiles on all the washing channels and fermentation tanks. Moreover, the water for the processing is being reused.

Farmers associated with the Rung’eto Cooperative cultivate their crops on Mount Kenya's slopes, known for producing intense, complex, and flavour-dense coffees.

Harvest

The main flowering period occurs from February to March, with the primary harvest taking place from October to December.

The soil, primarily Nitisol, is rich and developed from volcanic materials, commonly found in highland areas and steep volcanic slopes. Nitisol exhibits superior chemical and physical properties compared to other tropical soils.

Processing

Cherries are hand sorted for unripes and overripes by the farmers before they go into production.

A 3-Disc Agaarde pulping machine removes the skin and pulp. The coffees are graded by density into three grades by the pulper. Grade 1 and 2 go separately to fermentation. Grade 3 is considered a low grade.

The coffee is dry fermented for 18-36 hours in concrete tanks under a roof that provides shade for better temperature control during fermentation.

After fermentation the coffees are washed and again graded by density in washing channels. They are sometimes soaked in clean water overnight.

Sun-dried 12 to 20 days on African drying beds. Time depends on weather conditions. Coffees are covered under plastic during midday and at night. In this area the flowering period is usually between February and March, following this the trees will be ready for harvest from October to December.